D.W. Ross is a Scottish writer of fantasy fiction. He was unknown (until now), because he spent a long time trapped in the self-doubt riddled cage of his own brain. But now, those shackles are off and his debut novel, Cold From The North – An Onyxborn Chronicle, has been published and is available to purchase on Amazon! He is currently working on polishing the second book in the Onyxborn series. When not writing or working his 9to5, he can be found watching wrestling, lifting weights, drawing terribly, reading, following the Houston Texans (even though they cause him pain), and most importantly, spending time with his amazing wife.

To find out more about the real life of this fantastical author, I put the following series of questions to him.

How, where, and when do you write?

HOW: I use my MacBook for most of my work. I was always a ‘non-Apple’ guy, but honestly, between my MacBook and my iPad, I think I am converted.

WHERE: I’ve got a few wee spots around my house. Mostly glued to my couch or in the room where I keep all my most treasured possessions (books, records, games etc.).

WHEN: Whenever, really. I am a bit of an early riser, so I tend to get about an hour or two in before I start my regular job, then some nights, I’ll chip away at it too.

Do you set yourself a word goal every day / week?

Rarely. I tend to work more towards a – finish this scene or get to that goal kind of structure instead. It makes it easier, for me there is far less pressure which is key as I get such a kick out of writing, it’s like a release when I just let my mind wander in the world I created.

Have you ever suffered from writers’ block? Have you got any tips for overcoming it?

Sometimes I get it. It usually rears its head every couple of weeks but I wouldn’t call it a block as such. More just that my mind is blank, the words don’t work, and nothing I write fits. I used to beat myself up about it but now I just take a week away from my writing, find something outside the fantasy genre to focus on like a non-fiction book, the gym or a game (Ghost of Tsushima was my saviour!), and let my brain breathe.

Can you describe your book using three emojis?

What a fantastic question! This is a sucky attempt but I hope it works … ☠️❄️🗡

Without giving too much away, which scenes were your favourite and least favourite to write?

Oh okay, so a big favourite was a scene involving a character named Danrin. He has a run in with a particularly strong enemy and let’s just say it doesn’t go as he expects.

Least favourite… that’s hard. I’m not saying the whole book was easy but I genuinely got so much happiness out of the whole process. There were a few characters I adored that were destined to die, that was pretty hard as I could have written a whole story about them alone.

Are you working on anything new at the moment – and if so, can you give us a sneak peek? What was the last line that you wrote?

I am working on the second book of the Onyxborn series. Tentatively titled, The Darkest Dusk. It’s about 80% of the way there and the next step is working with my beta readers to get their feedback before a final round of developmental edits and then handing over to you again to work your magic!

The last line I wrote was this morning: ‘No glory hunting, survival is all that matters.’

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m reading The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie and loving every word.

Which fictional character would you most like to meet? What would you say to them / want them to say to you?

I think I would want to meet John Bender from The Breakfast Club. He was a bit of an enigmatic character – crass, clowny, tough guy exterior, but obviously very damaged. I want to see how he turned out post high school – see if he changed or if he was still a bit of a low life.

What is a book that everyone seems to love but you never got on with?

The Eye of The World by Robert Jordan. Just couldn’t get into it at all.

How do you take your tea / coffee?

I don’t drink coffee or tea! More of an energy drink person, to be honest.

What is your favourite time of day?

Between 6.30am-9am – nice and quiet, perfect time to chill or get work done.

How do you like to relax when you’re not writing?

I have a nice little gym in my garage, so I can often be found there. I am a big fan of professional wrestling, love kicking back watching AEW Dynamite at the weekends and unwinding. In lockdown I’ve been binging movie series with my wife, long may that continue – the movies not the lockdown. And I love to watch American football, even if my team is playing depressingly badly.

Cold from the North – An Onyxborn Chronicle is available to download now. For updates on all his future works, you can follow D.W. Ross on Twitter @DWRoss8, and to receive further news as well as exclusive content from the author himself, sign up to his mailing list at https://www.swordscastleswords.com.